TECHNOLOGY
1 Google
www.google.com
The powerhouse of the internet and the only place many people go for information. But if you thought Google was a still a mere search engine, look again. Click on ‘more’ at the top of the homepage to discover the work of ‘GoogleLabs’ – more than 50 free tools and web pages that could change your internet life.
GoogleDocs lets you create documents, spreadsheets and presentations, store them online, share them with others and access them from wherever there’s an internet connection.
Googlemail is probably the best email program – it has virtually limitless capacity and you don’t need to change your email address to use it. The Google calendar is a powerful searchable diary that you can allow others to access, so family members can make appointments together.
SketchUp could be just the tool you are looking for to design that conservatory extension and see what it will look like once the builders have gone. Add to that databases for searching academic journals and books in the public domain, the powerful GoogleMaps, with its engaging satellite imagery, a finance page with live stock quotes and an easy-to-use online messaging system, and you can see why some people say Google is taking over the world – and, with GoogleMoon and GoogleMars, the rest of the galaxy, too.
2 Anonymouse
www.anonymouse.org
Surf the web without disclosing who or where you are.
3 iLounge
www.ilounge.com
Hints, tips and troubleshooting for your iPod and associated software.
4 Only2Clicks
www.only2clicks.com
If you use just a few websites, this lets you create a home page that has links to them all. Simple, free and practical.
5 Zoho
www.zoho.com
A suite of free business programs. From word processing and presentation software to tools for taking notes in meetings, planning projects and creating databases.
6 Backpack
www.backpackit.com
To-do lists, notes, ideas and calendar. Excellent for juggling projects and much more versatile than a ring folder.
7 GetNetWise
www.getnetwise.org
All you need to know about keeping the net safe – protecting children, preventing spam, avoiding viruses and stopping others accessing your personal details.
8 DaFont
www.dafont.com
More than 7,500 free fonts (for Mac and PC), so you can at last stop using Copperplate for your party invitations.
9 Pando
The superfast way to send large files over the web. Don’t attach that family video to an email, Pando it instead.
10 FlipClips
www.flipclips.com
Turn your home videos into animated flip books. Much more appealing than another DVD.
ENTERTAINMENT
11 Digital Spy
www.digitalspy.co.uk
Entertainment, media and showbiz news. Plus, a surprisingly good forum for technology-related problems – a great place to sort out your broadband.
12 BBC iPlayer
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
On-demand television and radio programmes from the BBC.
13 Whatsonwhen
www.whatsonwhen.com
Events, attractions, openings and exhibitions from around the world. Enter a location and dates and the site will show listings.
14 London Theatre Guide
www.londontheatre.co.uk
What’s coming on and what’s making an exit in London’s theatre world. Especially good for seating plans, so you can see where the box office staff are putting you.
15 The Internet Movie Database
www.imdb.com
The world’s biggest (and still growing) reference for actors, directors, locations, plots…
16 Rotten Tomatoes
www.rottentomatoes.com
A round-up of what the critics thought of films on general release.
17 Screenonline
www.screenonline.org.uk
The British Film Institute’s definitive guide to the British film industry. Plots, features, statistics and news from the film world.
18 Good Reads
www.goodreads.com
Expand your reading. Catalogue your books online and others make recommendations based on what you seem to enjoy.
19 TV Guide
www.tvguide.co.uk
News, features and listings for Britain’s terrestrial and cable television. Customisable interface so your favourite channels are always at the top.
20 Football365
www.football365.com
The authentic (and often tangential) voice of the Britain’s ‘real’ football supporters.
21 CricInfo
www.cricinfo.com
Everything you want to know about the world of cricket.
22 Beijing Olympics
en.beijing2008.cn
The official Olympics site, with news, scheduling, features and a countdown to the games themselves.
23 Radio Locator
www.radio-locator.com
From shock jocks to orchestral baroque, thousands of internet radio stations to listen to on your computer.
24 Live Plasma
www.liveplasma.com
Expand your music and movie tastes. Enter the name of a song, band, movie, actor or director you like and Live Plasma will return some pretty intelligent recommendations for further investigation.
25 Blinkx
www.blinkx.com
A clever way of searching for video clips on the internet – from uploaded episodes of your favourite soap to comedy home-video moments.
No comments:
Post a Comment